Wrench



June 18, 1940.

R. B. JOHNSON 2,205,294

WRENCH Filed June 27, 1938 1?. 5 Johns Patented June 18, 1940 PATENT OFFICE WRENCH Raymond B. Johnson, Houston, Tex., assignor of three-fourths to John 'Kraker Gladewater,

Tex.

Application June 27, 1938, Serial No. 216,122

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved wrench of the type including a stationary jaw carried by a handle and a movable jaw shiftable towards and away from the stationary jaw and having a shank slidable longitudinally of the handle and connected with a collar which is slidable along the handle of the stationary jaw and adapted to have gripping engagement with the handle to hold the movable jaw in a set position when a pipe or other article to be turned is gripped between the jaws.

One object of the invention is to provide the wrench with a collar or yoke of such construction that it may be easily shifted along the handle of the stationary jaw to dispose the movable jaw in spaced relation to the stationary jaw and the collar or yoke then have good gripping engagement with the handle to firmly hold the movable jaw in position to grip a pipe disposed between the jaws.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved yieldable means for yieldably. resist-. ing forward movement of the collar or yoke along the handle and exerting rearward pull which will tend to move the collar and movable jaw rearwardly and tilt the coller to its gripping position.

Another object of the invention is to provide the two jaws with improved face plates having gripping teeth for biting into a pipe or other round object to be turned, the face plates being securely but removably mounted so that they may be easily removed and new ones substituted when necessary.

,The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a view showing the improved wrench principally in side elevation and partially in section,

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken transversely through the wrench along the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken longitudinally through the wrench along the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the face plates for the jaws, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken transversely through the wrench along the line 5--5 of Figure 1.

This improved wrench has a stationary jaw l at the forward end of a handle 2 and a movable jaw 3 disposed in front of the stationary jaw and provided with a rearwardly extending shank 4. The confronting faces of the two jaws are each formed with a pocket 5 which also opens through a side face of the jaw and inner "portions of the pocket are enlarged to form end extensions 6. A face plate 1 which is formed with teeth 8 for gripping a pipe or other round article to be turned with the wrench fits against the inner face of the jaw and each of the face plates is formed with a shank l0 which fits snugly within a pocket 5 and has extensions II at its ends received in the extensions 6 of the pocket. It will thus be seen that the shank of the face plate may be fitted into the pocket 5 through the open side thereof and when the plates I 2 and I3 are applied and secured by the screws I 4 and 15 the face plates will be firmly mounted and prevented from slipping out of the pocket. When it is desired to remove the face plates and replace them with new ones or with plates having teeth of a different type or with no teeth at all, it is merely necessary to remove the plates l2 and I3 and the face plates 1 maye be removed and. others substituted.

The shank 4 of the movable jaw extends through a guide l6 formed integral with the stationary jaw and closed at one side by a portion of the plate l3 which is secured against the end wall I! of the guide by a screw I8. A leaf spring 19 formed from a thin strip of resilient metal is secured at one end tothe stationary jaw by a screw 20 and this spring extends forwardly through the guide and engages the edge face of the shank to hold the shank against the longitudinally curved inner surface 2 I of the end wall ll of the guide. It will thus be seen that the end wall I! acts as a fulcrum for the shank and permits the movable jaw to have rocking motion relative to the stationary jaw as well as permitting the shank to slide easilythrough the guide when the movable jaw is shifted longitudinally of the wrench towards and away from the stationary Jaw.

A clutch collar or yoke 22 is disposed about the handle 2 rearwardly of the stationary jaw and has its lower portion formed with a passage 23 through which the handle passes and its upper 45 portion formed with a recess or pocket 24 in which the rear end of the shank 4 of the movable jaw is pivotally mounted by means of a screw 25 which serves as a pivot pin for the shank. An actuating lever 26 by means of which the yoke 50 or collar is to be tilted with the screw 25 as its pivot extends rearwardly from the upper end portion of the collar or yoke and the rear end portion of the pocket 24 is curved, as shown at 21, to permit the yoke and the shank to have tilting 55 movement relative to each other. The pocket 24 and the passage 23 are closed at one side by a side plate 28 which is secured at one end by the screw and at its other end by a rivet 29 and intermediate the length of the yoke there has been provided a rivet 30 which assists in holding the side plate in place and in addition constitutes a securing pin for a rod or stem 3| which extends longitudinally of the handle and has'its forward end portion disposed within'a pocket 32 formed in the yoke and terminating in an eye 33 through which the pin or rivet 30 passes. edge portion of the side plate 28 is formed with a recess 34 into which a dovetailed lug 35 engages and since this lug is formed integral with the yoke it will serve to brace the side plate against shifting movement and prevent excessive strain being applied to the rivets Hand 30 and screw,

25. lhere has also beenprovided a lug 36formed integral with the lower rear corner of the yoke and since this lug fits into a. recess 37 formed in the lower corner of the side plateZS it will assist in preventing transverse shifting of the side plate relative to the yoke. The upper wall of the passage 23 slopes from a point substantially midway the length of the passage to front and rear ends thereof to provide a gripping surface 38 and the lower wall of this passage also slopes from a point at the forward end of the lug 36 to front and rear ends of the passage toform a gripping surface 39. By so forming the upper and lower walls of the pocket the yoke may be tilted forwardly by a thumbapplied to the rear end of the lever 26 and pressure then applied to shift the movable jaw forwardly away from the stationary jaw a sufficient distance to engage a pipe between the two jaws and when the lever is released and pull exerted to draw the movable jaw towards the stationary jaw and at the same time tilt the yoke rearwardly about its pivot 25 parted to the wrench.

Rearwardpull upon the yoke to yieldably resist forward movement of the yoke and movable jaw and cause the yoke to be moved into gripping engagement with the handle is exerted by yieldable means of which the stem or rod 3| forms a part. This rod extends through a sleeve 40 which is housed in an outer sleeve'or tubular casing 41 and about the stem is coiled a spring42 having its forward end bearing against the inturned flange 43 at the front end of the tube or inner spring casing and its rear end bearing against a head 44 at the rear end of the stem. The inner The forward tube has its rear end formed with an outstandlng annular flange 45 for engaging the reaii end of a spring 46 coiled about the inner tubetand the forward end of this spring 46 bears against the inturned flange 41 at the front end of the outer tube or casing. The rear end portion of the outer tube or casing is threaded and screwed into a socket 48 which is disposed against a side edge face of the handle and secured thereto by a screw 49 passing through the rearwardly extending ear 50 of the socket. From an inspection of I Figure 1, it will be readily seen that, when a thumb is placed against the lever and the yoke and movable jaw thrust forwardly, the inner spring 42 will be compressed by action of the head 44 at the rear end of the stem 3| and the inner tube will be shifted forwardly through the front end of'the outer tube or casing 4| and the spring 46 compressed by action of the outstanding annular flange at the rear end of the inner tube. .As soon as the thumb is removed from the lever, the springs will exert rearward pull to draw the movable jaw into gripping engagement with the pipedisposed between the two jaws and the yoke will be swung rearwardly about the pivot 25 to cause tight frictional grip between the handle and the gripping surfaces 38 and 39 of the yoke.

After the pipe has been turned to the desired extent by the usual rocking motion employed for a pipe wrench, the thumb may again be applied to the lever and the movable jaw shifted forwardly away from the pipeand the stationary jaw and the wrench may then be removed from the pipe.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a wrench, a stationary jaw, a handle extending rearwardly from said jaw, a movable jaw, a shank extending rearwardly from the movable jaw, a-clutch pivoted to said shank and. loosely fitting about said handle and being movable into position to gripthe handle by force exerted for- T .wardly upon the movable jaw, and yieldable means for exerting rearward pull upon the clutch consisting of a stem pivoted to said clutch below its pivotal mounting and extending rearwardly therefrom, a spring about said stem, an inner casing about said spring engaging the forward end of the spring and having an outstanding abutment at its rear end, an outer spring about said casing bearing against said abutment, an 0 outer casing loose about the inner casing en-' 2. In a wrench as recited in claim 1, wherein the clutch is provided with a socket to pivotally receive the stem. i

. RAYMOND B. JOHNSON. 

